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Disabled man's baseball hat believed to have saved his life after being shot

Fox 35's Kelly Joyce reports.

Posted:Jan 25 2016 03:17PM EST

Updated:Jan 25 2016 08:47PM EST

Disabled man's baseball hat believed to have saved his life after being shot

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Disabled man's baseball hat believed to have saved his life after being shot

On Saturday afternoon, Josh was walking with two friends near an apartment complex on Garfield Avenue in DeLand. Josh was shot in the back of the head. His friend, Alex, called 911. Cronin says doctors told her that Josh's baseball hat might have helped save his life.

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DELAND, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - Laura Cronin and her son Josh are very close. When Josh was just a few weeks old, he had to have a shunt put into his head to help with swelling. He is developmentally delayed, but Cronin says her 24-year-old has come a long way. She says he has the mentality of a 14-year-old.

On Saturday afternoon, Josh was walking with two friends near an apartment complex on Garfield Avenue in DeLand.

Cronin said, "He heard pow, pow and he first thought that it was a firecracker.Then he said he felt like he had gotten hit in the head with a baseball bat. And he put his hands back and there was blood."

Josh was shot in the back of the head. His friend, Alex, called 911.

Cronin says doctors told her that Josh's baseball hat might have helped save his life.

She says, "They think perhaps that the plastic clip that puts the size in the back of his cap, um, possibly deflected the bullet enough, the momentum, so that it did not go through his skull."

Doctors told Josh it was a miracle, but there's still too much swelling for them to remove the bullet.

They will try again in 10 days.

For now, Josh and his mom want to know who did this.

Police haven't been able to find any witnesses around here.

She said, "I believe he was at the wrong place at the wrong time.If anybody has seen anything, they need to come forward because if this could happen to my child then it could happen to anybody."